Tim Hales/AP LeBron James wearing a Liverpool F.C. scarf.
- LeBron James received an ownership stake in Liverpool F.C. in 2011.
- Since then, the value of the soccer club has risen tremendously, and the value of LeBron's investment has grown around five times as large.
- English Premier League clubs, in general, have risen a lot in value, and the league signed a huge TV deal in 2015.
LeBron James has been the King on the basketball court for some time now, but in 2011 he also moved into the world of soccer when he received a 2% stake in the historic English club Liverpool F.C.
And now, according to reporting from ESPN's Darren Rovell, that stake has grown tremendously in value, from $6.5 million to approximately $32 million.
"Sources said James received a 2 percent stake in Liverpool in April 2011, when his marketing firm, LRMR, agreed to a joint venture with Fenway Sports Partners. Fenway Sports Partners is owned by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner, who bought Liverpool for a bargain $477 million in October 2010," Rovell wrote.
The club has risen tremendously in value since then, to $1.49 billion in Forbes' most recent valuations last June. Meanwhile, one sports investment banker told ESPN that the club could currently be sold for as much as $1.6 billion.
"It has been a thrill to watch such a storied club make their way back to the top again and to be a part of it all. LeBron likes the fact that he's diversified in another global sport," James' business partner, Maverick Carter, told ESPN, although he would not confirm any specific valuations for the outlet.
Liverpool's rise in value coincides with a return to prominence on the pitch for the club, which just made the Champions League finals for the first time since 2007 and currently sits in third place in the Premier League table. However, Liverpool has also certainly benefited from a broader rise in the value of the English Premier League, which signed a massive TV deal in 2015.